The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made available a variety of opportunities for foreign nationals to obtain Lawful Permanent Resident Status (green card) which allows US employment and the ability to enter and exit the United States without restriction, based upon a qualifying relationship to a United States Citizen or Permanent Resident. A relationship to a United States Citizen or to a Permanent Resident may qualify a person for a green card. United States Citizen’s and Permanent Resident’s have the ability in many circumstances to file petitions for members of their immediate family: including spouses, parents, children, and siblings.

If you do not have a qualifying relationship to seek immigration status through a family member, there are other possibilities such as employment based petitions or student visas which can lead to a green card later on down the road.

In order to establish if a person is eligible to receive the benefits of a family based petition it must first be determined if a qualifying relationship exists. The USCIS categorizes family relationships into five broad categories. Each category (with the exception of the immediate relative category) has an annual limitation on the amount of people who can become permanent residents. The numerical limitations are often overbooked which causes periodic and often considerable waiting periods. Availability of each visa changes frequently, please contact Malachovsky Law Offices P.C for up to date quota information.

Three to five years after a person obtains status as a Permanent Resident (green card) based upon a qualifying relationship to a United States Citizen they will be eligible to apply for naturalization and become a citizen of the United States.

We help our clients through all their immigration and naturalization procedures. Whether it is an extension of a visa, a petition for Permanent Residence or finally applying for US Citizenship, we guide our clients through this sometimes long process with care.